Personal Development is Critical to Professional Success

Why is Personal Development Critical to Professional Success?

Without a habit of personal development, professional success is often short lived, stifled, or non-existent. You witness it all the time, an intelligent person with marketable skills never reaches their full potential, has trouble getting or holding a high-level job—sometimes any job, never turns a profit in their business, or they achieve success in these areas only to later self-sabotage and lose it all.

Why does this happen? They have personal issues in their lives that have never been adequately dealt with. But we’ll come back to that.

Some people also try to separate their professional lives from their personal lives—instead of healing or growing. They try to act one way professionally and another personally. They often develop different personas, one for each area of their lives. But the truth is segmenting one’s life never works because at the core, our values, needs, and beliefs drive our thoughts and actions in all areas of life.

“One man cannot do right in one department of life whilst he is occupied in doing wrong in any other department. Life is one indivisible whole” –Mahatma Gandhi

If you want professional success, you can study or train diligently and make yourself more valuable in the marketplace. And this works. You’ll progress further professionally by improving your knowledge and skills than you will by coasting. But unless you’re taking care of developing and growing as an individual—and that means evaluating your life and taking care of past and present personal issues—you’ll struggle reaching your full potential at best and at worst, you might hit a brick wall and derail your career entirely.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a CEO, mail-room runner, business owner, or professional athlete, if you’re hauling around past baggage it affects your performance in all areas of life. Yes, all areas.

Let’s clarify that personal issues aren’t necessarily show stoppers. They can be relatively minor things, like taking things personally, overthinking situations, and poor time management. Personal issues can also be things like inappropriate language, poor hygiene, relationship problems outside of work, even talking too much or not listening to others. Essentially, all behavior comes from emotional and psychological roots. If you’re behavior isn’t getting you the results you desire, then you must address the root of the behavior.

That’s Where a Habit of Personal Development Helps Build Professional Success.

What is Personal Development?

Simply the continuing study and implementation of improving oneself. It can include books, seminars, video series, daily meditation, and many other facets. And at the core it entails healing what needs to be healed and improving the areas of life you want to improve.

Maybe you’ve already realized the importance of continuing personal development and have integrated daily growth into your life. Awesome, keep it up!

Maybe you haven’t. I can help you get started!

Maybe you can’t think of anything that you must change personally. If that’s the case, please ask yourself, “Is there anything about my life that I’d change?”

If the answer is, “Yes.” Then you’ll benefit from adding a personal development habit to your life!

Here are a few things you can do to begin—or reinforce—your personal development habit.

Daily Meditation. There are many ways to meditate. At its simplest, meditation is taking the time to reflect on the events going on in your life. Meditation can also be clearing your mind of daily clutter by sitting in silence and focusing on your breath.

The benefits of daily meditation are numerous. Among them are increased health, the ability to think more clearly, increased calmness, and improved mental focus.

Goal Setting. Without goals it’s hard to hit your target. Think of your biggest dream. Write it down using language as if it has already happened. Date it with a realistic but challenging achievement date at the top of the page. Review this daily and Start Working Toward Your Goal!

Study Personal Development. There are many sources for inspiration and guidance in the personal development arena. Find books, videos, or online courses that fit you. Start studying and implementing your new knowledge.

I have a few books on personal development. You can read my booksor find other authors who work for you. Either way. Get Started!